Symphony of the Seas

[RicciardoPerez]

Has anyone been onboard this cruise ship? Any tips for it? Travelling with 13 and 15 year old and DH in September. Usually cruise on the smaller RCL ships and a bit nervous for how busy it may be..

Any tips?

Ive not sailed that ship but i usually go to youtube. There are videos there for most cruise ships and i find those really informative. Have you joined your roll call on facebook?

I've been on that ship, it was massive but I loved the 5th floor running track. When my little one, who was 6 at the time, needed to chill we'd go for a walk down there out of the sun. There was no runners so we weren't in anyone's way!

Even though it was full, it never felt too overly crowded. The one sea day during the day was quite busy on the top deck but there are always quiet spots to be found.

I didnt like the photography, glitz and ballgown part of the formal evenings but they're easily avoided. That could be said of any ship though, not just Symphony. It's probably a good ship for teenagers, enough to do on it.

Been on one of the sister ships - pools were busy whilst at sea, and certain times in the Windjammer were horrendous. But it was great fun and lots to do, just try to figure out the quiet times.

That should say were not was 🤦‍♀️

I'd also agree about the Windjammer. It was our preference for eating, but we quickly worked out when was best to go so that it wasn't too busy. That said, there were lots of eating options.

I was on Symphony a few months ago. The crew said there were over 5000 passengers but you honestly wouldn’t have known. It was busy but never felt crowded - except for the Windjammer as mentioned above. I tried to avoid Windjammer after struggling to find an empty table a few times (whilst walking around with my food on a tray).

I travelled with 2 teens and both had a great time. It’s really geared up for families, with rock climbing, ice skating, laser tag, flow rider etc. The pool area is nice. I enjoyed the evening shows too, particularly Hairspray & the ice skating one (the name escapes me…)

It was a cracking ship & I visited some interesting ports but it’s made me realise I much prefer a smaller ship. Personally there was so much stuff on the ship that was of no interest to me & the smaller ships better suit.

I've been on Ovation of the Seas which is not quite as big but still bloody big - honestly it was PERFECT for teenagers of that age. So much variety in what to do. So many options for food. I went on a full ship in peak period and didn't find it overwhelmingly crowded anywhere.

The only reservation I'd have is if you are tendering rather than docking from any of the ports. It takes a LONG time to unload that many passengers. You are probably aware there's a few ways to jump the queue though.

We haven’t been on Symphony but have done another of the big RCL ships. Book shows in advance or right when you board the ship; they fill up very quickly. People who make reservations for the shows get to enter 15 minutes earlier than everyone else. That means it is a lot easier to find a good seat. It also means that your family will be sitting together. There was also an escape room on our ship which booked up very quickly.
Consider staying onboard during one of the port days. The best areas of the ship, like the Solarium, are very quiet and peaceful during those days.

Thank you for all the helpful replies.

My favourite ship I've done is Anthem of the Seas - the perfect size for us!

I've had a good look on YouTube today - found Danny from Harr Travel and his full ship tour - very good and informative.

As it's an itinerary we've done before, I'll be staying onboard (ie, Rome) a bit more so at least I can explore the ship.

Currently watching the latest update on Icon of the seas.... now that is HUGE!!!!

ICON looks to be an absolute BEAST!

We’re off on Odyssey on Sunday…first time cruising! 🤩

@SugarPlumpFairy3 We've booked for Odyssey next year. What port are you travelling from? Would you please come back and tell us what you think!

@ClaireUnderwoodforPresident we’re going from Civitavecchia. Yes, absolutely I’ll tell you how we got on! If you’re on Facebook, there are loads of pages for your ship and there’ll be one for your specific sailing too. We’ve got LOADS of tips for the ship and each port. Very useful.

Where are you going?

I'll have to take a look. We're sailing from Miami on a (I think western) Caribbean cruise. Can't wait!!

Wow, that’s will be amazing! Enjoy…when it arrives 😄

Have a look at Trev and Chels on YouTube, they’re travelled on most of the RC fleet and I’m sure they’ve been on Symphony.

Debbie Downer Alert re Cruise ships.
Environmental Impact of Cruise Ships (earthfirst.org.uk)

Cruise with Ben and David on You tube are really good. They’ve covered just about every single ship / cruise etc!

Thanks for all the suggestions - been watching them today! Love Ben and David!!

@ClaireUnderwoodforPresident we’ve just arrived back and WOW! Odyssey is absolutely spectacular. We loved it. So much to do onboard, each and every member of staff have gone above and beyond and the ship is just beautiful. You will not be disappointed!

Do you have any specific questions?

@SugarPlumpFairy3 Ah amazing! Glad you enjoyed. A few Q's based on some other reviews I've come across;

Did it feel crowded - particularly on sea days? I read reports of no loungers etc.. (What were the passenger numbers on your trip?)

How was food in the Windjammer / other restaurants esp main dining room? Again did it feel too busy?

Did you use kids club?

Any other do's / dont's?

Thank you!

Sorry @SugarPlumpFairy3 one final question! Did your children need a pre boarding Covid test? My DD is under 5 so no vaccine required but needs negative test pre boarding, will need to figure out logistics.

It felt crowded on occasion. The first few hours onboard were pretty overwhelming. The Windjammer was very busy and noisy as everyone headed straight there after boarding. It was definitely the busiest time though - obviously some times were quieter than others. We never struggled to find tables though.

The pool deck was very busy on sea days(we had two). People did reserve sun beds so we put towels down and then nipped for breakfast (pool deck is on the same deck as the windjammer). The pools are pretty small for the size of the ship. This is probably my main negative point for the ship. Having said that, we enjoyed our sea days by the pool.

We mainly ate in the main dining room -we had a 6pm slot each night so no queuing (I think My Time diners had to queue). We really enjoyed the food and had some really lovely meals. It’s a different set menu each night but they were more than happy to make adjustments, eg, mashed instead of roast potatoes etc. The dining room is HUGE but it really doesn’t feel like it! It has a great atmosphere. We had evening meals at the windjammer three times I think we and equally enjoyed the meals there too-so much choice! Breakfast time was busier but it’s a huge area so didn’t feel crowded. We had brunch in the main dining room one morning and it was much more civilised 😉.

We didnt use the kids club (the kids in our party were 3 x 10yo, 13 and 16. They were so busy amusing themselves they didn’t have time to go! We felt it was safe for them to go off and explore for themselves.

No, no one needed a negative covid test. We just had a health questionnaire to fill out the day before sailing asking about any symptoms. They were VERY insistent on hand washing before entering the windjammer and would call people out who tried to sneak through. Get used to “washy, washy!”.

Tips…it was hard to get slots on the free ifly and North Star. Make sure you get on the RC app as soon as you board to get them booked. We didn’t board until 2:30 whilst some people had been on since 11am. Keep checking the app though as they did seem to add more slots through the week.

Let me know if you have any more questions-it’s my new favourite thing to talk about!

As I said we didn’t need a negative covid test but we were sailing in Europe. I5 may be a different case in the carribean/USA.

If you read the article it suggests improvements to cruise ship design which many cruise lines are embracing now. Greener cruising is understood to be the way forward.
There has always been debate about whether it’s better to have people holidaying together ie cruise ships, resort towns, hotel complexes or dispersed about. Not sure a definitive answer has been found.

Ask on cruise critic forum loads of advice

@SugarPlumpFairy3 Thanks so much for taking the time on the detail! Seems like pretty much what I was expecting - a bit crowded at times. Hopefully it won't bother us a lot & we can manage with some forward planning - can't wait to go!